Creating a Home Graywater System

Peak Moment 141: (same as 3/4/09 with added diagrams) Trathen Heckman takes us on a step-by-step tour of how to make a safe, ecological and legal suburban home graywater system. Follow the water as it drains from the bathroom tub (and sink and laundry) through a unique valve leading into the backyard garden. It flows into an optional wetland and underground pond for filtering. The water is then piped below ground to several destinations in the yard, where it will supply water for plants growing above it. Trathen discusses the process with local government agencies, the system design and construction (with pictures), costs, resource books, and why to undertake a graywater system in the first place. http://www.daily-acts.org

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• water
• graywater
• conservation

[powerman1942yahoo]

I live in virginia and it gets cold. Can I still do this?

[peakmoment]

@powerman1942yahoo, probably yes. But you'll need to make sure you can empty the pipes during a freeze. It doesn't hurt if water expands in your collector tanks (as long as there's some extra air space when the water expands.

[dlamberson]

This is an awesome system and I would love to have something like this in my life but the guy did this very "yuppie-ly"

[peakmoment]

@dlamberson, it may seem yuppie-ish because Trathen set out to make a legal system, to pave the way for others to do likewise.

[salide]

Can you water the vegetable garden with grey water that has been "filtered" through a wetland? Is it safe?

[peakmoment]

@salide, Trathen says yes.

[Nicodemus98]

Built my gray water system ten years ago. Mine has five 300 gallon plastic storage tanks, and bio-filters and a timer to water at pre determined times. Since I generate all my own power by a hydro-electric system I built twenty years ago, power outages aren't an issue, since I never have them. Mine takes care of most of the water needs for two acres of vegetable garden and fruit and nut trees. My rain water cisterns take care of the rest. I live in the country, so zoning is not a problem.

[nolejckr]

@zfair3850 I am inretested to know about this as well. Can you talk about the toxicity to the plants, ground water and to us eventually if we use strong chemicals in our detergents and soaps?

[steelalive2011]

All real gentleman...Great explanations, great tone, very patient! Keep up the good work buddy!

[lloyd23704]

@powerman1942yahoo i live in virgina to i run pipe for a living ...... you already have these pipes in your yard and they do not freeze all your doing is changing the place it ends up youd might want to skip his 5 gallon bucket idea but are frost line is 12 inches but i would run it the same hight as your pipes are already i even reused all my old piping to save money and be a lil greener

[danfromabove]

@CelticKraut Zinger! *facepalm*

[CelticKraut]

More like GAY water! tehehehe!

[zfair3850]

@truthisouttheir can someone reply to this question? thanks. just interested in how much chemical use can go on...

[truthisouttheir]

what about soap / detergent / and all the other chemicals that end up in gray water??

do you have to use natural products if u plant to water food gardens?

and does he change the wood chip filter ?